Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Senegal and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1966 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1980 at the first Cybotron practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Bronski Beat to the dance kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Outsiders. All the underground hits.
All World's Most tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Stockholm Monsters record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Nils Olav record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Oppenheimer Analysis,
The Zeros,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Basic Channel,
Chris Corsano,
Mary Jane Girls,
Whodini,
The Remains,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Moss Icon,
The Flesh Eaters,
Rakim,
Ossler,
Public Image Ltd.,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Eric B and Rakim,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Ten City,
The Dirtbombs,
Ken Boothe,
Infiniti,
Barry Ungar,
Erykah Badu,
Das Ding,
The Birthday Party,
The Gories,
The Beau Brummels,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
the Sonics,
John Holt,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Sound,
Lalann,
Main Source,
Popol Vuh,
The Techniques,
The Fall,
Michelle Simonal,
Delta 5,
Robert Görl,
The Shadows of Knight,
Lakeside,
Sixth Finger,
The Five Americans,
Youth Brigade,
Stiv Bators,
Vladislav Delay,
The Modern Lovers,
the Swans,
Sparks,
Pharoah Sanders,
Organ,
The Monks,
The Residents,
Crispian St. Peters,
In Retrospect,
Judy Mowatt,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Index,
The Names,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Kinks,
Lucky Dragons, Lucky Dragons, Lucky Dragons, Lucky Dragons.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.